Midnight Muse
Midnight Muse
She sat on the shore line waiting, though she was unsure what she waited for. She was oh so beautiful. Her face lit up in the moon light to show her timeless features. She was as pale skinned and exquisite in her form. An aura of purity and perfection surrounded her being. She sat patiently and silently, breathing in the brackish scent from the sea and the sand. The moon was high in the sky now, and across the water from where she sat she could see the crumbling remains of a castle long since empty of habitation. Only the wildlife dwelled there now, the owls and the mice outwitting each other in their attempts to feed and thrive. The castle was hauntingly beautiful in the moonlight, and she began to feel a longing to visit and explore it.
In the distance she heard a far away striking of the midnight hour from the church clock, and from the first strike she felt the wind start to swirl around her, and the sea began to swell and churn and throb with a pulse behind her. As the last bell chimed she turned and her vision beheld six pure white horses galloping through the waves towards the shore, and at the lead was a fabulous unicorn with a dazzling horn and a handsome male riding on her back. They were all galloping franticly through the surf towards the shore where she was now standing, awaiting their arrival. The nostrils on the white horses were flaring and the surf was spraying wildly as they made their progress through the surf and onto the beach in front of her.
The male slid down from the unicorns back and walked to her and offered her his hand. She was hesitant for a few moments, her breath taken away by his outstanding good looks. But when she looked straight into his eyes she knew without doubt she must trust him. It was like looking into his soul, his eyes were like molten silk, soft and fluid and amber in colour. She felt her heart fluttering in her breast the longer she looked at him. And she accepted his hand, and their fingers intertwined and he drew her towards his chest and held her close. Her heart in that moment burst into rapturous spasms of pure joy and acceptance of him. And they approached the unicorn, and he gently lifted her from her waist so she could sit upon it's back and hold onto it's mane. He then climbed on behind her and held one arm around her waist before the unicorn began to walk forwards.
After just a dozen strides the unicorn left the ground and she found herself flying across the now calm and placid sea towards the ruined castle in the distance. Below she could see the six white horses on the beach, their bodies glistening in the light of the moon. The breeze blew the unicorns mane back into her and she smelt the heady aroma of heat and toil through the hairs, and she felt so safe and relaxed especially with his arm firmly around her waist too. The flight on the unicorn was exquisite. So smooth, the only way she knew she was flying was the rush of air against her face and neck. And she sensed an overwhelming feeling of peace and love and knew for certain that she was heading towards her destiny.
As they crossed the passage of sea to the castle she became aware of a familiarity of her surroundings. A deja vu, a certain sense that she knew this place from times gone by, It didn't distress her, it just made her feel even more sure that her destiny awaited her somewhere in the ruins below her. And she welcomed the feeling and let it wash over her, intoxicating her senses and building within her a passion and a yearning that she had not known before, and a desire began to burn inside her soul, one that would need to be fulfilled before she could bring her senses back to normality.
The unicorn was circling over the ruins now, looking for a safe place to land. It banked suddenly and she was slightly caught off guard by the unexpectedness of the turn, but he held tightly to her waist and she relaxed back into his hold of her whilst the unicorn prepared to safely place its hooves back to the ground in a gallop, then a canter and trotted to a stop. He slid down from the unicorns back and turned to offer his hands to help her to dismount. He then approached the unicorn from the front and threw his arms around it's neck in a tender embrace, whilst she stood watching them. It was obvious that there was great friendship between the two. The unicorn knelt and accepted his embrace, then lay on the ground as if inviting her to come to him. She walked around and reached out and felt the rough texture of his horn, then as the man had done before her so she embraced the unicorn and felt and overwhelming rush of love surge through her.
She stood and looked at the man, and was totally overwhelmed with a desire she had never known in her life time. Her heart was racing in her chest, and her breathing was quickening, she felt ravaged with lust and desire for his touch to release her from the sweet torture she was feeling inside her body. Her eyes became pools of need, and pleaded with him to embrace her and give her the release she so desperately needed. He approached her and slowly, oh so slowly his lips found hers and her body melted and sang out in waves of pleasure for the sweet touch of him.
Time lost all meaning for them both. They were consumed with each other and their tender touches and caresses only served to build more desire for each other, until at last both lay spent and wrapped up in each other, and they slept the sleep only total exhaustion can bring. And the day broke as they slept, and they didn't stir, they were blissfully unaware of the passing of the day for they were so fulfilled and exhausted. And yet around them all manner of things were changing and old was becoming new again.
No sooner had sleep become them did the unicorn fly back to to the beach and communicate with the six white horses, urging them to follow her back to the ruins. They dashed and galloped through the sea bringing swells of spray into the air until they reached a place where they could climb up onto the land, and the unicorn met them and drew them to the castle walls.
The six white horses stood upright on their hind legs in front of the unicorn, and she bowed her head and touched her horn gently on the chest of each of the horses and as she did so each transformed into the form of herculean men, rippling with strength and power. Six titans stood magnificently before her, and she gestured with her horn to the ruins of the castle. All six intuitively knew what she meant and set about rebuilding the walls and structures back to their former glory.
Whilst she slept on the midnight muse remained transfixed in a wonderful dream whereby her and her man dwelt within the castle, and her every thought and desire for the image of the castle was transferred to the six titans and they rebuilt everything to fit her dream. They toiled long and hard throughout the day, and all six were totally spent by the time the midnight hour approached again. And they stood back and admired the splendid form of the castle, and as they looked so thy bent their bodies and placed their hands on the ground and their hands once again became hooves and they transformed once more into six beautiful white horses
Then the six white horses and the unicorn turned back towards the sea, and their trot became a seething gallop as their hooves touched the sea water, and the spray and foam reflected their glistening white coats as they carried onwards out to sea in the direction of the moon.
The distant church clock struck its first ring to notify of the midnight hour, and the couple stirred from their slumber to find themselves laid entwined in a majestic bed with view overlooking the sea, and their vision was drawn to the sight through the window of the unicorn and six white horses galloping through the sea, with a mist of spray behind them as they sped ever onwards in the direction of the moon.
They looked back lovingly at each other, secure in the knowledge that they were home at last, both hungry again for each other, and this new life together that was always their destiny. At the last stroke of midnight their future together was sealed for eternity. And the unicorn looked back one last time at the castle in the distance, lowered his head and sent forth a blessing towards them for eternal happiness together. Then she and the horses rose up and journeyed far into the midnight sky..........
Jane Shields 16th August 2016
Comments